Abstract:
Effective diffusion properties of concrete are determined by use of computational homogenization. Concrete is modeled on the mesoscale where the material is considered a composite of cement paste, ballast and the interfacial transition zone (ITZ). Effective material properties are obtained by solving a boundary value problem on the mesoscale using the finite element method (FEM) and through homogenization of the obtained response. The influence of ballast content and the ITZ on the effective properties is studied in particular.